Vote recording apparatus



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. H, HOWE. OTE RECORDING APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 26,1897.

No. 592,590. I

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-8heet '2, W. H. HOWE.

VOTE RECORDING APPARATUS. No. 592,590. Patented 001;. 26-, 1897.

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7 VOTE RECORDING APPARATUS. No. 59Z,590.- Patented Oct. 26,1897;

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No. 592,590. Patented Oct. 26,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

VOTE-RECORDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,590, dated October26, 1897.

Application filed April 11, 1896. Renewed July 9, 1897. Serial No. 64=L,030 (No model.) Patented in England May 10, 1894, no. 9,299.

To [0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LwzrLrnn HENRY HOWE,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Ilighgate, London,England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forRecording Parliamentary and other Votes, (for which I have obtained apatent in Great Britain, No. 9,299, dated May 10, 1894,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

-My invention relates to apparatus for recording parliamentary and othervotes, and has for its chief object to provide means whereby, in thecase of a scrutiny, the votes of the different electors can beidentified.v

In carrying out myinvent-ion I provide a set of number-printingapparatus for each candidate or combination of candidates for election,each of which sets of numbering apparatus is advantageously adapted tobe operated by the rotation of awheel within the boX or chamber whereinthe electors record I also provide an independent set of number-printingapparatus which is adapted to be operated in such a manner that eachvote that is given for a candidate or combination of candidates isrecorded by the independent numbering apparatus, the record printed bythis apparatus serving for scrutiny purposes. The several sets ofnumbering apparatus are adapted to print upon a band which is movedforward the required distance each time a vote is recorded.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the sameby reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a planView showing the arrangement of my apparatus in conjunction with theclosed chamber, which, for convenience, I term the ballot-chamber,inwhich the said apparatus is situated. Fig. 2 is an elevation, drawn .tolarger scale than Fig. 1, of the apparatus asseen by the voter. Fig. 3is a 1011- gitudinal section of the apparatus on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.Fig. 4: is a section on the line t, Fig. 2. Fig. 5is a section on theline 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6, Fig. 5. Figs. 7and 8 are views illustrating details of construction. Fig. 9 is a viewon a larger scale of a portion of the paper band printed by theapparatus. Fig. 10 is a view of a paper sheet on which the presidingofficer records the assessment-number of each voter when voting. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

a is the bed-plate of the apparatus, and b b are two standards thereonbetween which is fixed a plate 0, upon which the several sets ofcandidates-numbering apparatus are mounted.

I have represented in the drawings four sets of numbering apparatus, (1d d d Figs. 5 and 6, for the several candidates, and another sete,mounted,as hereinafter described, for the scrutiny. It is to beunderstood, however, that the several sets of candidates-numberingapparatus will vary according to the number of candidates for election.These sets of numbering apparatus may be of any suitable construction.In the drawings I have represented the several numbering-wheels of eachapparatus (the figures on which are adapted to print an impression) asbeing carried by a frame f, sliding upon blocks f f on the plate 0 andprovided with rods f f *,working in guides f f also on the plate a. Themotion is imparted to the units-wheel of each numbering apparatus bymeans of a pawl g, mounted on a lever loose on the axle carrying thenumbering-disks and connected by a link 9 with an arm on one of theguides f on the plate 0, whereby as the numbering apparatus is pushedforward the pawl slides over one of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel gfixed to the said units-disk, while as the apparatus is returned thepawl, by engaging with the ratchet-wheel, will cause the latter and thesaid wheel to be moved one tooth, as will be I readily understood byreferring to Fig. 4 on the drawings. The motion of the units-wheels isimparted to the tens and other numberingwheels in the usual manner.

h, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, istheimpression-roller, and i isaroll of paperbandz' which is passed around the impression-roller h and. wound intoanother roller t". The impression-roller his mounted on brackets 71. hon the bedplate a, and the roll 1." is carried by a spindle I F, runningin slots or guides in the upper IOO ends of the said brackets in such amanner that as the said roll 1" increases in diameter it will rise inthe guides and that the roll 7; will bear upon the surface of theimpressionroller h, whereby as the roller 7t rotates in the direction ofthe arrow 1, Fig. 4, the said roll i will rotate in the direction of thearrow 2 in the said figure to roll up the band.

In using my apparatus it is obvious that only one set ofcandidates-numberin g apparatus must be operated, while the set ofapparatus e for the scrutiny must be operated simultaneously with eachset of candidatesnumbering apparatus. In order to permit of effectingsuch simultaneous operation, I advantageously provide the followingarrangement of mechanismthat is to say, I provide a movable platform j,Figs. 4, 5, and (3,which runs upon railsjj, supported on the base a, thewheels 7' 7' carrying the said platform upon the rails, being providedwith teeth and engaging with corresponding rack-teeth on the rails, soas to insure the platform always maintaining its proper positionrelatively with the rails. Theplatform 7' has fixed upon it a bracket7c, (shown most clearly in Figs. .1: and 6,) which bracket is adapted atits upper part to project above the cross-plate c and to carry the setof numbering apparatus 6 and its guidesin such a mannerthat when one orthe other sets of candidates apparatus makes an impression on the band tthe scrutiny apparatus will also make an impression.

Upon the platforrnj are mounted two crankdisks Z m, Figs. 3, 4c, and 5,the former of which is connected by a rod Z with a crosshead Z providedwith a guide-bar Z, sliding in guides l Z upon the platform 7', whilethe erank-disk m is connected by a rod 02. to the band t As the platformis being traversed in order to bring the cross-head i into engagementwith one or the other set of the candidates numbering apparatus, thescrutinynumbering apparatus e is also moved, so as to bring it oppositeto the scrutiny-column on the band 1;" corresponding to the candidatesname, whereby when the candidatesnumbering apparatus is operated torecord a vote the scrutiny apparatus will also be operated.

In order that a voter shall be enabled to move the platform j to engagethe cross-head Z with the numbering apparatus of the candidate for whomhe desires to vote, I connect the said platform j by a rod 1), Figs. 4and 6,

with a crank-disk mounted on a shaft 11 which extends to the outside ofthe appara tus, where it'is provided with a crank-handle 19 by turningwhich the platform may be reciprocated. Adjacent to the said handle Iarrange an indicator q, having within it the names of the severalparliamentary or other candidates, and in connection. with the saidindicator is a pointer g, which is fixed to the platform j and movestherewith, whereby a voter may at once see when the apparatus is inproper position for voting for a certain. eandidate. This arrangement ofindicator and pointer will be readily understood by refen ence to Figs.2 and 4: of the drawings.

I advantageously move the different parts to perform the printingoperation through the medium of a turnstile 7', Figs. 1, 2, 4-, and

5, which the voter operates as he leaves the ballot-chamber afterplacing the pointer q in the proper position. For this purpose I attachto the vertical spindle r of the said turnstile a bevel-wheel 1' Fig. 5,which engages with a bevel pinion 0' mounted on a shaft 0". This shaft7" has mounted upon it two wheels 3 s, which engage with gear-teeth onthe peripheries of the two crank-disksZ m for operatingthe voting andscrutiny numbering mechanisms, respectively, so that when the turnstiler is rotated the said cran icdisks will be operated to move thenumbering mechanisms. In order that the said wheels 3 8 shall always bein gear with the teeth on the crank-disks l lit, the said wheels areconnected to the shaft 4'' by splines or feathers, or the said shaft ismade square in cross-section, as shown in the drawings, and the wheelsthemselves are held in brackets s s, fixed to the platform j, so that asthe said platform is moved the said wheels s s will,

also be moved to the same extent.

The several gear-wheels are so proportioned that a quarter of arevolution of the turnstile i shall move the numbering mechanismsforward to print and return them to their original positions, so thatthe cross-headP is free to be moved into engagen'lent with either of thesets of candidates-numbering mechanism by the next voter.

In order that the successive voters entering the ballot-chamber shallnot be able to ascertain by the position of the index-finger for whomthe previous voter voted, I provide at the entrance to theballot-chamber a scc- 0nd turnstile '1, Figs. 1, 3, 5, and (3, the shaftt of which is connected by bevel-gearing t to a horizontal shaft '6which carries at one end a gear-wheel t engaging through theintervention of another goal-wheel with gearteeth upon the periphery ofthe crank-disk p, through the medium of which the plat form j is moved,whereby as a voter enters the ballot-chamber the said disk 1) will movethe said platform j, and consequently also the index-finger q, so thatthe latter shall not afford any correct information.

Each of the turnstiles '2' t is provided with IIO a ratchet-wheel u andpawl to, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, for preventing the turnstile being turned inthe wrong direction.

The wheel t is not fixed to the shaft 7?, but is connected thereto bymeans of a ratchet and pawl, (indicated by the letter-u in Figs. 3, 5,and 6,) so as to allow of the voter moving the platform j by means ofthe handle p without imparting movement to the shaft 15 In practice itis advisable that as a voter enters the ballotchamber theadmissionturnstile i shall be locked behind him and remain locked untilhe shall have left such ballot-chamber. I therefore provide inconjunction with each turnstile a bolt or looking device which isoperated as followsthat is to say, as a voter enters theballot-- chamberthe lockingbolt, in conjunction with the admission-turnstile t, is movedso as to limit the movement of the turnstile to a quarter of arevolution and prevented from being moved by the next person wishing tovote, while the bolt, in conjunction with the exit-turnstile r, isdisengaged therefrom, the latter being free to turn as the voter leavesthe ballot-chamber. As, however, the voter is leaving the ballot-chamberthe bolts are again operated-that is to say, the bolt in connection withthe exit-turnstile 1" is moved to prevent the said turnstile beingrotated more than a quarter of a revolution, while at the same time thebolt in connection with the admission-turnstile t is moved to disengageit from the said turnstile and thereby leave the latter free to beoperated by the next voter. This arrangement of lockingbolts will bemost clearly understood by reference to Fig. 6, wherein o oindicate,respectively, the bolts in connection with the admission ,and exitturnstiles t 1*, the said bolts being adapted to slide vertically inguides o 0 fixed to the base a of the apparatus. In connection withthese bolts is a rack-baro the two ends of which are formed withinclined cam-surfaces v 0), which extend through aperturesin the boltsin such a manner that when the said bar is reciprocated transversely ofthe apparatus one bolt will be raised and the other simultaneouslydepressed.

On the shaft 25 is mounted a gear-wheel 41 which engages with one end ofthe rack-bar v and on a shaft Q16, which is connected by bevel-gearingwith the vertical shaft 1" of the exit-turnstile is mounted anothergear-wheel 12 similar to the gear-wheel 0 which engages with the otherend of the said rack-bar o These wheels 12 '0 are not fixed to theirrespective shafts, but are connected thereto by ratchet-and-pawlmechanism, (the ratchetand-pawl mechanism in connection with the wheel nbeing represented in Fig. 8 and that in connection with the wheel '0 inFig. 6,) arranged in such a manner that when the shaft t is rotated,owing to the operation of the admission-turnstile t, the said wheel 12will move "the rack-bar J from the position shown in Fig. 6 toward theleft hand, thereby depressing the bolt '11, so as to bring it into thepath of the arm of the turnstile operated by the incoming voter.Simultaneously with the depression of the bolt U the bolt 4) is raisedout of engagement with the turnstile 1", the wheel 11 slipping on theshaft '0. When the voter passes the turnstile r in leaving theballot-chamber, the reverse action takes place-that is to say, the wheelo is positively moved by the shaft t and moves the rackbar o to theright hand, whereby the bolt 1; is depressed and the bolt 1; raised toallow of the turnstile i being again moved, the wheel '0 during thisoperation slipping around upon its shaft 25 In order to allow the wheels12 and o to slip around upon their respective shafts t and o, asdescribed, the pawls 0 o in connection with the said wheels, are pivotedthereto in such a position that during the movement of either turnstilethe pawl of the wheel on-the shaft or o of the moving turnstile is inengagement with the ratchet-wheel '0 fixed to that shaft, but at the endof the movementof the said turnstile the wheel will have arrived at sucha position that the pawl will fall out of engagement with the saidratchet-wheel until returned to its former position by the movement ofthe rack-bar 12 when the latter is operated upon by the other turnstile.

w, Figs. 5 and 6, indicates a bell which I advantageously arrange inconjunction with the exit-turnstile in such a manner that each time theturnstile is operated by a person leaving the ballot-chamber one arm ofthe said turnstile will strike the arm to of the bell and therebyindicate to the presiding officer that the ballot-chamberis unoccupied.

In order to effect the inking of the numbering-disks, I mount on thestandards I) b an inking-cylinder 00, Figs. 4 and 6, and an inkduct 03,and I provide ordinary inking-rollers y y, carried by two arms y y andrunning around a circular path g formed upon the standards I) b in sucha manner that as the rollers move upon the path they come into contactwith the type, as will be readily understood by reference toFig. 4 ofthe drawings. Motion is imparted to the levers 11 carrying theinking-rollers from the shaft t driven by the admission-turnstiletthrough the medium of the bevel-wheel U3, Figs. 3 and 5, which engageswith a bevel crank-pinion 3 on one end of a shaft 3 on the other end ofwhich is a crank-disk y. The crank-pins of the crank-pinion 3 and of thedisk y are connected by links M with rearward extensions of the levers yy, whereby as the said shaft 1 is rotated the desired movement will beimparted to the inking-rollers y y.

The diameters of the wheels 1 11 are so porportioned relatively with thespeed of the shaft 25 that each time the turnstile tis moved a quarterof a revolution the inking-rollers y 1 will be moved up or down, so asto pass once over the face of the type.

IIO

IIS

011 the shaft 11 is a sprocket-wheel (see Fig. 6,) connected by a chain7 with corresponding sprocket-wheel 11 on the axle of theinking-cylinder 50, whereby a partial rotation will be imparted to thesaid cylinder each time the shaft is actuated.

The movement of the paper band 2' after each printing operation iseffected from the shaft '6 in connection with the admissionturnstile '6.As shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 7, the motion of the shaft t is communicatedto the impression-cylinder 7t through the medium of the train of wheels.2 .2 c .2 and .2, which latter engages with a ring of teeth on one endof the impression-cylinder.

It will be understood that as the motion of the band 2' is due to therotation of the impression-cylinder 7b the distances the paper band ismoved from time to time will be the same notwithstanding the decrease inthe diameter of the roll i and the increase in diameter of the roll 2,as hereinbefore described.

The paper band which I use in conjunction with my apparatus ispreferably divided into twice as many columns as there are candidates,half of the columns serving for recording the votes and the other halffor the scrutiny-numbers.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that each of thecandidates sets of numbering apparatus records only the number of voteswhich have been given for that candidate, while the set of numberingapparatus for the scrutiny corresponds with the total number of votesgiven. In order, therefore, for the purpose of scrutiny, that thedifferent votes may be analyzed, I pro vide the presiding officcr at thevoting-station with a book having printed in it the numbers from lconsecutively upward, as shown in Fig. 10, according to the number ofvoters on the register, and as each person presents himself to thepresiding officer to record his vote the rate-book or assessment numberof the voter is placed against the number corresponding with the orderin which he presents himself.

The mode of operation is as follows: Assume there are four candidates,Smith, Brown, Jones, and Robinson, whose names are placed in theindicator (1 of the. apparatus. Voter No. 1 now presents himself to thepresiding officer, who, having entered the rate-book numbersay595-opposite No. 1 in his book, allows the voter to pass into theballot-chamber. Should this voter desire to vote for Smith, he thenmoves the handle 17" to bring the corresponding scrutiny portion of theband. Voter No. 3, whose rate-book number is, say, 5,.J-l-l, may alsodesire to vote for Smith, the result being that the figure 2 isimpressed in the first column and the figure 3 in the scrutiny portionof the band, this being the total number of the votes recorded. VoterNo. i say rate-book number 3,652-votes for Jones, and this being thefirst vote given for this candidate the figure l is therefore printed inthe third column, but it being the fourth vote recorded the ligure -l isprinted in the corresponding scrutiny column. It will thus be understoodthat each voter prints in line with the vote which he records for hiscandidate a number corresponding with the number against which his ownrate-book number is placed in the presiding officers book, whereby, incase of scrutiny, the votes can be readily analyzed.

It will also be understood that at the close of the poll it will not benecessary to count the votes, as the last printed number in eachcandidates column indicates the number of votes which have been recordedin his favor.

In practice I find it advantageous to arrange, in connection with one orthe other of the turnstiles, a counting mechanism, the number recordedby which should always correspond with the number of persons who havevoted according to both the presiding ot'ficers book and the totalrecorded by the scrutiny-numbering apparatus.

Although in the foregoing description I have described the scrutiny setof numbering apparatus as printing in four different columns, it is tobe understood that all the scrutiny-numbers may be printed in a singlecolumn, in which case it is only necessary to provide the recordbandwith one column more thin the number of candidates necessitates.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. In a vote-recording apparatus the cont bination witha series of independent rcgis tering devices, of a separate registeringdevice adapted to be operatively connected with each of said independentdevices and to be operated by the operation of any one of the same, amovable recording-strip, and means for impressing the indicator-numberof any of said independent registering devices and said separateregistering device upon said recording-strip at each operation of themachine, substantially as described.

2. In a vote'recording mechanism, the combination with a series ofindependent registering devices in different vertical planes, a separatescrutiny-registering device out of line with said independent devices,means for moving said scrutiny-registering device laterally intopositions corresponding relatively with the positions of saidindependent devices, devices connected with said scrutinyregisteringdevice adapted to engage one of said independent devices, arecording-strip and means for moving said scrutiny-registering deviceand its connected independent registering device to print upon saidrecording-strip, substantially as described.

3. In a vote-recording mechanism, the combination with a series ofindependent registering and printing devices, a separatescrutiny-registering and printing device, a laterally-movable carriagecarrying said scrutinyregistering device, an operating device on saidcarriage adapted to be brought into operative relation with any one ofsaid series of independent registering devices, a movable recordingstrip, means for simultaneously moving said operating device and thesaid scrutiny-registering device, to force the latter and one of saidindependent devices into printing contact with the recording-strip andoperating devices for moving said carriage laterally, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a vote-recording apparatus the combination with a series ofindependent registering devices and operating mechanism adapted to beplaced in engagement with any one of said registering devices, meansaccessible to the voter for so moving said operating mechanism, of aturnstile in the path of the voter in leaving the apparatus operativelyconnected with and adapted to impart motion to said operating mechanismand a turnstile in the path of a voter in approaching the apparatus,operatively connected with said operating means to move it fromengagement with one of said independent devices to another, wherebyafter one voter leaves the apparatus and registers his vote, theposition of the mechanism is changed before another voter reaches theapparatus, substantially as described.

5. In a vote-recording apparatus the combination with a series ofindependent regis tering and printing devices, operating mechanismtherefor adapted to be placed in engagement with any one of saiddevices, means accessible to the voter for moving said operatingmechanism, a recording-strip, mechanism for feeding said strip, aturnstile operatively connected with and adapted to impart motion tosaid operating mechanism and a turnstile operatively connected with thefeeding mechanism for he record-strip, substantially as described.

6. In apparatus for recording votes in Which several sets of numberingapparatus corresponding with the number of candidates is employed and anadditional set of apparatus for recording the number of votes forscrutiny purposes, the provision of means whereby either set ofnumbering apparatus may be engaged with an operating-handle outside theapparatus and whereby the scrutiny-number-printing apparatus shall printin different columns, substantially as described.

\VALTER HENRY HOWE.

Witnesses:

G. F. REDFERN, O. G. REDFERN.

